"Satisfying conclusion to the Hyperion series."
I took a little break between Endymion and this final book of the series because it is one of those rare stories that you just don't want to end. Its nice to be able to look forward to the next installment of a story of proven quality and endurance. Anyway, after savoring anticipation for a while, I finally went ahead with this final Hyperion book.
If you have completed Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, and Endymion, then there probably won't be that many suprises in this book. Everything unfolds roughly the way you might expect, although there were a few minor unexpected twists. All loose ends are tied up rather neatly. Within the Hyperion Universe that Simmons has created, pretty much anything is possible. Because of this, I was hoping that Simmons would offer of a different fate for "the one who teaches." At least, one that was different than the one I was expecting.
If you haven't completed the book, I don't want to say anything more on that subject. Again, all I will say is that there are no major suprises in this book. I understand why certain events were required for the plot, but some events are unfortunate.
All in all, this was an outstanding series and I thank Simmons for sharing it with us. Once again, Bevine provides outstanding narration. The series ends on a good note and I am glad for that.
Highly Recommend all books in the Hyperion Saga!!
"Worth a credit."
Salem's Lot has always been one of my favorite books, but I avoided it on Audible for a long time due to a misunderstanding.
The sample that is provided by audible is Stephen King reading part of the introduction. I never really paid attention to what was being said, I just heard the voice and thought it was Ron McLarty. No offense to King, but narration is not his forte and there was no way in hell I was going to listen to an entire book in that voice.
I finally got tired of seeing this book in my wish list, so I gave the sample another try. This time I realized it was the intro and that King usually reads those.
I found some other McLarty books on audible and checked those samples. The narration isn't bad at all.
So, once that was settled, this was a no brainer. The book is awesome and well worth a listen.
"Worthy addition to the Hyperion saga!"
An excellent 3rd installment from Simmons. Well worth a listen. Anyone who was a fan of Hyperion should really finish the series to fully appreciate each book within the series. Once again, truly excellent narration by Victor Bevine. Highly recommend!
"Excellent story, Excellent Narration."
I couldn't be happier with this purchase. I reviewed Hyperion immediately after I finished it because it left me very excited about this series. I decided to wait until I finished the remaining 3 books before reviewing any of them individually. It is not very often that you come across a story that is so promising and I was afraid that the remaing books in the series would fall flat, or even worse, tank completely. I am very relieved to say that this is not the case at all. Simmons continues to weave a fantasic world in this second book and it leaves you hungry for more. The narration truly is excellent. After the first book, there was a slight transition in getting used to hearing a single narrator rather than a full cast, but Victor Bevine is definitely the correct choice for this project. As I listen to more and more audiobooks, I'm beginning to realize that narrators fall into roughly three categories. Class "C" would be the ones who are terrible and should not be allowed anywhere near a microphone. Class "B" are the ones who do a competent job, but don't really stand out or excell at their craft. And the class "A" narrators who provide truly excellent performances and who display an abundance of talent. Bevine is definitely a class "A" in every way. With audiobooks, when you have the combo of a good book helmed by an outstanding narrator, it just doesn't get much better than that.
"A well rounded history of Augustus"
A well written and well narrated history of Augustus. Definitely worth a credit. Highly recommend.
"Definitely worth a listen."
Excellent book. I've seen this title on the shelf, but I never picked it up. Once I noticed it was available from audible, I figured I'd give it a try. I was not disappointed. This was just an outstanding story. It was well read by the cast and Dan Simmons is at the top of his game as he weaves the different threads of the story together. Also, it is Unabridged!! Seriously, give it a try, I'm betting you won't be disappointed. If you are like me, you will be hooked and you will need to get the other 3 books in this series! Actually, if I ever get a free moment, I might try to read them as well as listen.
"Great Series! Great production!"
Very well done for a Star Wars audiobook. Even though it is abridged, the 6 hour run-time leaves enough material to make this audiobook entertaining. That said, you can still notice gaps where, I assume, material was cut out for the abridgement. This can be annoying after a while. I won't beat around the bush, I loathe any abridgement and I would encourage people to complain to the publisher so that they will begin releasing unabridged versions of these books. Other than that, this book was excellent. Marc Thompson is one of the most talented narrators that I have heard. It is a pleasure to listen to him. The different character voices that he assumes throughout the book are executed flawlessly and I had to keep reminding myself that it was the same person speaking. The writing, sound production, and music were all top notch. I would give this 5 stars if not for the abridgement.
One last thing, stay away from any of the star wars audiobooks that are less than 6 hours in length. They are so butchered by the abridgements, that they are not worth your time or money. Quite a few of these are narrated by Anthony Heald and he is just plain awful. I found this out the hard way. Just remember, Anthony Heald = extremely poor narration. Jonathan Davis = Extremely good narration. Marc Thompson = Outstanding narration.
"Well worth the money!"
Very well done for a Star Wars audiobook. Even though it is abridged, the 6 hour run-time leaves enough material to make this audiobook entertaining. That said, you can still notice gaps where, I assume, material was cut out for the abridgement. This can be annoying after a while. I won't beat around the bush, I loathe any abridgement and I would encourage people to complain to the publisher so that they will begin releasing unabridged versions of these books. Other than that, this book was excellent. Marc Thompson is one of the most talented narrators that I have heard. It is a pleasure to listen to him. The different character voices that he assumes throughout the book are executed flawlessly and I had to keep reminding myself that it was the same person speaking. The writing, sound production, and music were all top notch. I would give this 5 stars if not for the abridgement.
One last thing, stay away from any of the star wars audiobooks that are less than 6 hours in length. They are so butchered by the abridgements, that they are not worth your time or money. Quite a few of these are narrated by Anthony Heald and he is just plain awful. I found this out the hard way. Just remember, Anthony Heald = extremely poor narration. Jonathan Davis = Extremely good narration. Marc Thompson = Outstanding narration.
"Truly Entertaining!"
Very well done for a Star Wars audiobook. Even though it is abridged, the 6 hour run-time leaves enough material to make this audiobook entertaining. That said, you can still notice gaps where, I assume, material was cut out for the abridgement. This can be annoying after a while. I won't beat around the bush, I loathe any abridgement and I would encourage people to complain to the publisher so that they will begin releasing unabridged versions of these books. Other than that, this book was excellent. Marc Thompson is one of the most talented narrators that I have heard. It is a pleasure to listen to him. The different character voices that he assumes throughout the book are executed flawlessly and I had to keep reminding myself that it was the same person speaking. The writing, sound production, and music were all top notch. I would give this 5 stars if not for the abridgement.
One last thing, stay away from any of the star wars audiobooks that are less than 6 hours in length. They are so butchered by the abridgements, that they are not worth your time or money. Quite a few of these are narrated by Anthony Heald and he is just plain awful. I found this out the hard way. Just remember, Anthony Heald = extremely poor narration. Jonathan Davis = Extremely good narration. Marc Thompson = Outstanding narration.
"A great series!"
Very well done for a Star Wars audiobook. Even though it is abridged, the 6 hour run-time leaves enough material to make this audiobook entertaining. That said, you can still notice gaps where, I assume, material was cut out for the abridgement. This can be annoying after a while. I won't beat around the bush, I loathe any abridgement and I would encourage people to complain to the publisher so that they will begin releasing unabridged versions of these books. Other than that, this book was excellent. Marc Thompson is one of the most talented narrators that I have heard. It is a pleasure to listen to him. The different character voices that he assumes throughout the book are executed flawlessly and I had to keep reminding myself that it was the same person speaking. The writing, sound production, and music were all top notch. I would give this 5 stars if not for the abridgement.
One last thing, stay away from any of the star wars audiobooks that are less than 6 hours in length. They are so butchered by the abridgements, that they are not worth your time or money. Quite a few of these are narrated by Anthony Heald and he is just plain awful. I found this out the hard way. Just remember, Anthony Heald = extremely poor narration. Jonathan Davis = Extremely good narration. Marc Thompson = Outstanding narration.